Safety device for street-railway cars.



No. 662,456. Patented Nov. 27, I900.

-T. MULHOLLAND.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR STREET RAILWAY CABS.

(Application filed Aug. 26. 1699.)

(No Modal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 662,456. Patented Nov. 27, I900.

T. MULHOLLAND. SAFETY DEVICE FOR STREET RAILWAY CARS.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1899.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES lJNiTEn STATEs PATENT UEETCE.

THOlVIAS lVlULI-IO LLAND, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR STREET-RAlLWAY CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,456, dated November 27, 1900.

Application filed August 28, 1899. belial No. 728,670. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS MULI-IOLLAND,

' a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Street-Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety devices for street-railway cars. I

The object of my invention is to produce a device adapted to enfold an object or person in the path of the car and struck by the same and to hold the said object or person erect, thereby prevent it falling underneath the wheels of the car. To this purpose my invention consists in the novel construction, com bination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 indicates a side elevation of the forward portion of a street-railway car, showing the application of my improved safety device. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the front portion of a car with my improved safety-fender applied. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of one of the horizontally-disposed arms, showing the triggerbar. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of device to keep fender elevated.

Similar reference characters indicate like parts wherever they occur throughout the several views.

Referring to said drawings, 1 is the forward end of a street-railway car.

2 2 represent brackets attached to either side the car in such wise that the distance they project from the frontof the car may be adjusted by means of a set-screw 3, which projects in the slot at in the inner member of the upper bracket, the other member of the bracket being pivotally secured at 5 to the front of the car.

6 6 represent arms pivotally secured to the front of the car at 7 and are adapted to swing horizontally inwardly toward thecar, tensionsprings 8 being adapted when retracted to cause said bars 6 to swing, as described. The

said bars are held normally distended and in alinement with the sides of the car by means of bars 9, which are arranged between said bars 6 near or at the ends of the same, as shown in Fig. 2. Retention-fingers 10,which are pivotally secured to the inner side of the arms 6, serve to maintain the bars 9 between the ends of the arms 6 at all times until an object or person connects with the forward one of said bars 9, thereby displacing the same and instantaneously enabling the retention-iinger 10 to swing down, as shown in Fig. 5,thereby permitting the rear bar 9 to swing out of the seat 11, in which it is normally held, and permitting the arms 6 to grasp the object or person struck and by the retraction of the springs 8 carry said object or person toward and hold it against the front of the car in an upright position until the car is stopped. A number of horizontal springs 12 or other suitable means may be arranged on and parallel with the front of the car to lessen the force of the contact of the object struck with the car.

A series of angularly-disposed arms 13 13 are hinged or pivotally secured to the outer end of the bracket 2, and are adapted to be adjusted .one behind the other on the outer side of the arms 6, and are provided with retraction-springs 14, which when said arms 6 are released, as heretofore described, simultaneously therewith cause the arms 13 to fold upon the object struck at a point considerably above that upon which the arms 6 grasp the object struck, thus assisting in securing and preventing the falling of the object, as shown in Fig. 3.

A fender l5, normally held suspended in front of the wheels, is adapted to be dropped onto the rails simultaneously with the inward movement of the arms for the purpose of preventing all possibility of the smallest object that may be struck coming in contact with or passing under the wheels.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a safety device for street-cars,the combination of a plurality of arms hinged or pivotally secured on either side of the front end of a car and adapted to swing inwardly horizontally toward the front of saidcar, means to hold the said arms normally distended, and means to cause the same to swing inwardly, a series of angularly-disposed bars hinged or pivotally secured upon the front of said car on either sideof the same, the said bars being adapted to be held normally distended by engagement on the outer side of horizontallyswinging bars, and means to cause the said angularly-disposed bars to swing inwardly toward the front of the car, substantially as set forth.

2. In a safety device for street-cars,the combination of a plurality of arms hinged or pivotally secured to the forward end of the car on either side the same, maintaining-bars adapted to hold said arms normally distended and in alinelnent with the sides of the car, the said maintaining-bars being normally held in position by retention-fingers, tensionsprings secured to the inner side of said arms and to the front of the car and adapted when retracted to cause said arms to swing in wardly, and a series of angularly-disposed arms hinged or pivotally secured upon the front of the car, the said arms beingadapted to be held normally distended by engagement with the horizontally-swinging arms each of said angularly-disposed arms being secured or attached to a tension-spring, adapted When retracted to cause said angularly-disposed arms to swing inwardly.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two su bscribing witnesses.

THOMAS MULHOLLAND.

In presence of- CLARENCE A. WILLIAMS, JAMES C. HERRON. 

